Bowel Disease: Caring for Your Ostomy

Overview

Caring for your ostomy is an important part of having a good quality of life. You will need to:

• Empty your pouch as needed. Some pouches can be drained and reused. Other pouches are closed and must be thrown away after each use.
• Replace your pouching system as needed (usually every 3 to 7 days). This may include measuring your stoma (the exposed section of intestine) and cutting a barrier to fit around it.
• Care for your skin and stoma, and watch for skin irritation.
• Know what to watch for. Your doctor or nurse can help you with this.

Wound, ostomy, and continence nurses (WOCNs) are available in some medical centers to help you learn how to care for your ostomy.

Irrigating your colostomy

If you have a colostomy, you may be able to irrigate it. A colostomy is an ostomy of the colon. Irrigation is a procedure in which you stimulate and flush the intestines at a regular time. It is typically done at the same time every day or every other day.

Irrigation helps you control when you get rid of solid wastes. If you irrigate, you may need only a cover or pad over your stoma and may not need an ostomy pouch.

Only irrigate a colostomy if your doctor has instructed you to do so. You cannot irrigate an ileostomy.

Caring for a child's ostomy

If you are caring for an infant or child with an ostomy, the same information and procedures generally apply. But a child's ostomy pouch will be smaller and will most likely need to be replaced more often. Different adhesives may be used to attach the pouch because a child's skin is more sensitive than an adult's skin. Your nurse will help you learn how to care for your child with an ostomy. Irrigation of an ostomy is not appropriate for children.